A songthaew (, , ;
Overview
The songthaew takes its name from the two bench seats fixed along either side of the back of the truck. In some vehicles, a third bench is put down the middle of the seating area. Additionally a roof is fitted over the rear of the vehicle, to which curtains and plastic sheeting to keep out rain may be attached. Some vehicles have roofs high enough to accommodate standing passengers within the vehicle. More typically, standing passengers occupy a platform attached to the rear.
In Chiang Mai and its surroundings, locals may call them rot si daeng
The Isuzu Faster and Toyota Hilux are example models of songthaews found in Thailand.
In addition, some models of songthaews — such as Daihatsu Hijet, Subaru Sambar and Suzuki Carry — familiarly known as rot ka-poh (), literally translates to "toad cars." The word ka-poh comes from Teochew dialect (pronounced kub-poh), which means "toad" — reference to their shape. Some are also called rot kra-pong (รถกระป๋อง, literally "tincan cars") or rot-Subaru (รถซูบารุ, literally "Subaru cars") — a reference to their brand.
History
Songthaews were introduced in Thailand in the 1950s. Early songthaews were based on Austin A30 sedans. In 1960s, songthaews used British models like
Standard Atlas, Morris 250 JU, Morris J4, and
Morris Minor. In 1970s, songthaews started using various models like Mercedes-Benz T2.
Use
Songthaews are used both within towns and cities and for longer routes between towns and villages. Those within towns are converted from pick-up trucks and usually travel fixed routes for a set fare, but in some cases (as in
Chiang Mai), they are used as
share taxi for passengers traveling in roughly the same direction. Vehicles on longer routes may use truck bodies and seat around 40 passengers.
Future replacements
In 1990s, Thai government attempted to replace songthaews with modern minibuses. Thai Motor Corporation (THAMCO),
BMW, and
Italdesign cooperated for designing Italdesign Columbus as songthaew replacement. Italdesign Columbus had bodywork variations, including minibus, pick-up truck, and delivery van.
Gallery
File:Isuzu N-Series songthaew 01.jpg|A medium-sized inter-village songthaew
File:Songthaew01a.jpg|A songthaew loaded with students heading home in Sisaket province province
File:Empty Songthaew-Sakon Nakhon.JPG|The interior of a pick-up truck songthaew in Sakon Nakhon
File:Songthaew in Sukhothai 04.jpg|Toyota Dyna in Sukhothai province
File:Songthaew in Lopburi 05.jpg|Toyota Hilux in Lopburi province
File:Songthaew in Sukhothai 02.JPG|Isuzu Elf at Sukhothai province
File:Songthaew in Bangkok 03.jpg|Daihatsu Hijet near Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital
File:Songthaew in Trat 01.jpg|Mitsubishi L200 in Trat province
File:Songthaew in Sukhothai 01.JPG|Isuzu Elf in Sukhothai province
File:Songthaew in Ayutthaya 03.jpg|Isuzu Elf in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province
File:Songthaew in Rayong 05.jpg|Isuzu Elf in Rayong province
File:Songthaew in Pattaya 19.JPG|Mitsubishi Cyclone in Pattaya
File:Songthaew in Ayutthaya 01.jpg|Isuzu Giga in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province
File:Songthaew in Pattaya 20.JPG|Mitsubishi L200 in Pattaya
File:Songthaew in Bangkok 01.JPG|Isuzu Elf in Bangkok
File:Songthaew in Warin Chamrap 08.JPG|Mitsubishi Fuso Canter in Ubon Ratchathani
File:Songthaew in Pattaya Alcazar.JPG|Datsun 620 in Pattaya
File:Songthaew in Pathumthani 1222 1222-4.jpg|Isuzu D-Max In Pathumthani
File:Songthaew Isuzu 8221 8221-7.jpg|Isuzu Giga in Samut Sakhon
File:Songthaew Isuzu 4359 4359-108.jpg|Isuzu NPR in Kalasin province
File:Songthaew Nissan 8543 8543-1.jpg|Nissan Big M in Samut Songkhram
File:Mitsubishi Strada 381 381-14.jpg|Mitsubishi Strada in Pathumthani
File:Songthaew in Samut Prakan (5).jpg|Toyota Hilux Mighty-X in Samut Prakan
File:Songthaew in Chonburi (7).jpg|alt=|Toyota Hilux Revo in Chonburi
File:Songthaew in Nonthaburi (8).jpg|alt=|Mazda Familia in Nonthaburi
File:Songthaew in Lampang (2).jpg|alt=|Mitsubishi L200 in Lampang province
File:Inside a Thai songthaew.jpg|Riding in a songthaew in Chiang Mai
See also
External links
